Why Cufflinks?

Why do we wear cufflinks?

Like the tie pin, cufflinks has a purpose, but it has decreased more and more. Earlier it was popular to have shirts with rigid sleeves, which made it difficult to close with a regular button. It was common to get cufflinks to keep the shirt sleeves closed, if you could afford it.

This changed during the 1800’s with the introduction of new machines, technologies and materials, which made it possible to produce cufflinks a lot cheaper than before. This made it possible for the middle class in England to buy and use cufflinks.

Even though cufflinks became popular, the shirt sleeves became lighter and less rigid as well. The purpose of cufflinks decreased more, because a regular button could hold the shirt sleeves together.

The British found it difficult to stop using cufflinks, and today it’s still natural to use cufflinks when wearing a suit. The opposite is applicable in Italy, where they try to avoid cufflinks when wearing a suit.